Artist&#39;s grout float

ABSTRACT

The artist&#39;s grout float of the present invention takes advantage of the small size, flexible, resilient blade of an artist&#39;s pallet knife, to form a small scale grout float for use in creating artistic and decorative mosaic works. The blade of the artist&#39;s pallet knife is covered on the underside with a layer of resilient material such as rubber, or polymeric elastomeric material. The layer of elastomeric material allows the grout to be forced into the crevices between the mosaic tiles while wiping the surface of the tiles to avoid buildup of grout material on the tile exposed surfaces. The blade may be in a triangular, table knife, or other convenient shape with at least a partial straight edge useful in spreading the grout.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to artistic and decorative mosaic tileworks. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatususeful in the introduction of grout between mosaic tiles.

2. Description of the Related Art

The use of a grout float for laying tile floors and the like is wellknown. The typical grout float is rectangular in shape, several incheswide and up to a foot in length and having a smooth, resilient, flatsurface and a centrally located hand hold. This type of grout float isuseful in spreading grout over spaced floor tiles such that the grout isintroduced into the spaces between the tiles to fill them and make arelatively smooth floor surface.

The use of tiles of consistent or varying sizes and shapes to formmosaic decorative surfaces as works of art or on vases and otherarticles for artistic decoration is widespread. It is desired, in manyinstances to introduce grout between the tiles for the desireddecorative effect. Such work often requires applying grout in confinedspaces and crevices or on curved objects. The application of groutthrough use of the hands and fingers is messy, unpleasant, and canresult in reactions with the skin resulting in peeling of the skin Itwould be desirable to provide a grout float for application of grout tomosaic work.

None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or incombination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus,a mosaic grout float solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The artist's grout float of the present invention takes advantage of thesmall size, flexible, resilient blade of an artist's pallet knife, toform a small scale grout float for use in creating artistic anddecorative mosaic works. The blade of the artist's pallet knife iscovered on one side with a layer of resilient material such as rubber,or polymeric elastomeric material. The layer of elastomeric materialallows the grout to be forced into the crevices between the mosaic tileswhile wiping the surface of the tiles to avoid buildup of grout materialon the tile exposed surfaces. The blade may be in a triangular, tableknife, or other convenient shape with at least a partial straight edgeuseful in spreading the grout.

These and other features of the present invention will become readilyapparent upon further review of the following specification anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an environmental, perspective view of an artist's grout floatin use according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the artist's grout float of FIG. 1 withthe layer of elastomeric material exploded away from the palled knifesurface.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the artist's knife float of FIG. 1.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistentlythroughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is grout float for use by artists in mosaic works.The grout float takes advantage of the size, shape, and flexibility ofan artist's pallet knife blade to provide a grout float useful increating mosaic artistic and decorative works to fill between the tilesthereof.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a vase V to which decorative tiles Tare applied to form mosaic M. A supply of grout G is being applied by anartist's grout float 10 according to the present invention to a mosaicM. Artist's grout float 10 is shown having a generally triangular, thin,metal blade 12 attached to a handle 14 being held by the hand H of anartist. The triangular blade 12 has a rounded front end.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown an exploded view and a sideelevation view, respectively, of the grout float of FIG. 1. Float 10 hasa handle 14 and a generally triangular blade 18 forming a pallet knife16. The blade has an upper surface and a lower surface and forms arounded front point. The float cushion 20 is made of elastomericmaterial and has a rounded point 22, tapered sides 24 forming straightedge segments, a back end 26, and a cushion face 30 for contacting andspreading grout on the mosaic of FIG. 1. The float cushion 20 isattached to the lower surface of at least the forward portion of theknife blade and corresponds to the shape of the surface of working blade12 of pallet knife 16 with a glue or adhesive layer 28 of appropriatetype and composition to firmly attach float cushion 20 to the undersideof blade 18.

Although the pallet knife shown is of a triangular blade trowel typewith a rounded point, other shapes such as a table knife shape palletknife may be similarly covered with a float cushion corresponding to theknife shape. The grout cushion is attached to and extends over theunderside of the pallet knife blade in the manner described above forthe triangular blade.

In use, a quantity of grout is placed at a corner of the mosaic andspread over the mosaic with the inventive float, leaving the crevicesand spaces between the tiles of the mosaic filled with grout. Theelastomeric material wipes the outer surface of the tiles keeping groutfrom building up thereon. The inventive grout float is useful both onflat mosaics and mosaics on rounded and curved surfaces such asthree-dimensional surfaces with precision. The user may easily load thegrout float with precisely the amount of grout need at joints oftwo-dimensional and three dimensional mosaic pieces.

Although the inventive grout float may have a variety of blade sizes andshapes, a preferred artist's grout float has a flat blade length ofabout 2¼″ in length, about ⅝″ in width at the back end, and about ¼″ inwidth at the front end at the rounded portion.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodimentswithin the scope of the following claims.

1. An artist's grout float, comprising: a pallet knife having a thin,flexible blade having an upper side and a lower side and at least oneside edge said pallet knife having a handle; and a float cushionattached to said lower side of said blade; said float cushioncoextending with said lower side of said blade at at least the forwardportion of said blade and extending along said side edge.
 2. The groutfloat of claim 1, wherein said float cushion is made of a flat piece ofelastomeric material.
 3. The grout float of claim 2, said blade beingmade of metal.
 4. The grout float of claim 3, wherein said float cushionis attached to said blade by an adhesive material.
 5. The grout float ofclaim 4, said blade and said float cushion are generally triangular,forming a rounded front point.
 6. The grout float of claim 5, saidpallet knife having the general shape of a triangular trowel.
 7. Thegrout float of claim 5, wherein said blade is about 2¼″ in length, ⅝″ inwidth at the back, and ¼″ in width at the front rounded end.
 8. Anartist's float, comprising: a knife having a thin, flexible metal bladeand a handle, said blade having a forward portion and at least on sideedge and having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a floatcushion attached to said forward portion of said knife blade at saidlower surface and coextending therewith; said float cushion being madeof a flat piece of elastomeric material; said float cushion beingattached to said knife blade by an adhesive material.
 9. The grout floatof claim 4, said blade and said float cushion are generally triangular,forming a rounded front point.
 10. The grout float of claim 4, saidpallet knife having the general shape of a triangular trowel.
 11. Thegrout float of claim 4, wherein said blade is about 2¼″ in length, ⅝″ inwidth at the back, and ¼″ in width at the front rounded end.